Part IX: Maelstrom
by The Paragon
Summary: WANG YO/HAE SOO: Prince Jung returns victorious from Khitan. When he asks King Jeongjong for Hae Soo, certain things come to light...


**A/N: Sup, YoSoo fam! I know I'm a couple of days late, thank you all for being so patient.**

 ***SENDING OUT A BIG HUG TO EVERYONE FOR ALL THE LOVE & SUPPORT THIS STORY HAS RECEIVED***

 **I must warn y'all that this is another tense one - so sit back, relax, grab a non-alcoholic beverage and enjoy the maelstrom.**

 **Without further ado, I give you Part IX...**

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If there was one thing from their childhood that unfairly stood out to Jung and So, it was that their older brother never liked to share his toys. That, and the fact that the selfish brat just _had_ to pick the best toys first. Always. And then they belonged to him… _forever and ever_ as he often liked to declare, to their ultimate juvenile dismay.

So it all probably shouldn't've come as a surprise when the king's blood boiled upon finding his royal court lady gaily conversing with the grand general.

He saw red as he watched her laugh at something his idiot brother had said, his hands automatically curling into fists at his sides. His eyes darted suspiciously from one to the other as he walked towards them, boots rapping smartly against stone.

Hae Soo turned and bowed her head when she noticed him approaching.

Jung bowed next to her, arms clasped behind his back. "Your Majesty," he greeted brightly.

Ignoring the grand general, Wang Yo roughly grabbed Hae Soo by the upper arm, dragging her along with him as he marched forward.

"Hyung-nim!" Jung protested behind them.

Nostrils flaring and his mouth set into a hard line, the king didn't slow down.

Hae Soo tried to yank herself free from his bruising grip, but his fingers squeezed harder. "What are you doing?" she breathed, struggling to keep up with his quick strides. "You're hurting me– "

The livid look on his face effectively silenced her till they reached their destination.

Following a long uncomfortable journey, they finally arrived at the royal bathing chamber and he unceremoniously tossed her in, leaving her to stumble on her feet.

"Prepare the bath," Wang Yo snarled, his jaw clenched tight. "And stay there till I return!"

Hae Soo rubbed her sore arm, glaring at his back as he stormed out of the room.

"No one goes in except me!" she heard him bark at the guards.

Grinding her teeth together, she swallowed down a scream of frustration.

 _How dare he!_

She huffed and grabbed a fresh bag of dried herbs from the shelf. Shaking her head, she hooked it onto the end of the wooden stirring rod.

What was his problem? She could never keep up with his temperament these days. The man was absurd. He could be oddly gentle one moment, and then rampaging like a Neanderthal in the next.

She crouched down by the pool, sighing heavily as she proceeded to swirl the scented bag in the steaming water. The tantalizing aroma of sandalwood and lavender wafted over her senses like a calming mist, going straight to her head.

Just when she was starting to wonder whether he would actually return, she heard the doors slam open. Her stomach did a double flip as the king walked in, nostrils flaring and fists clenched at his sides.

Their eyes locked together from across the room and Hae Soo rose to her full height.

A bolt of exhilarated fear coursed through her body as Wang Yo strode towards her, his face like thunder.

She held her breath as he towered over her petite form. Cradling her face in his large hands, his liquid brown eyes bore into her own wide ones. The intensity in his stare rattled her as she returned his gaze.

"Have I done something wrong?" she whispered, their lips merely inches apart.

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

She gasped as he reached behind her waist without warning, roughly tearing her belt off in one smooth motion. His heated gaze didn't leave her face as his fingers found the ties of her jade uniform next. Without breaking eye-contact, he tugged violently, loosening the knots till her top came undone.

Sensing her mounting distress, Wang Yo threw his hands up in the air with an exasperated sigh. He turned away from her trembling form and moved to stand at the head of the pool, brows curling into a frown as he shrugged his golden robes off impatiently.

When he had stripped down to just his black cotton trousers, he glanced back at her, lifting a dark brow.

Cheeks set aflame, Hae Soo followed suit and peeled off the rest of her outer garments with shaking hands.

It was all part of the job, she knew, yet no matter how many times she endured this routine, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. In all her years of service during his reign, not once had she even seen him share a bath with his own _wife_. It was all far too intimate.

Clad in her white underdress, Hae Soo sauntered over to the pool and lifted her skirt up to just below her knees. She sat perched on the side of the bath, pale legs dangling off the edge in hot water.

She heard him enter the pool to her left, but kept her eyes glued to the floating petals, wary of provoking his wrath any further.

A massive engulfing silence pressed over them. She knew he was watching her…she could practically feel his stare scorching her skin.

Wang Yo eventually spoke, his voice rumbling through the suffocating stillness.

"You're not to speak to Jung again, is that understood?"

Hae Soo turned to him, a stunned expression on her face. "What?"

"I never want to see you cavorting with the grand general again."

 _"_ _Cavorting_?" Hae Soo's eyes rounded in indignation. _"_ I'll have you know Prince Jung is my friend!"

"Oh I am _well_ aware that my brother harbors intentions toward you that are nothing akin to friendship," he spat bitterly, eyes sparkling. "Your _friend_ made a curious request in the throne room today, did you know?"

Hae Soo's brows knitted together, clearly flummoxed by where he was planning to take this.

"I told him he could have anything he wanted," Wang Yo drawled. "As a reward for his victories…anything his heart desired, as long as it wasn't the throne."

 _The throne._

 _That's what this is about?_

She sighed. "And did Prince Jung ask for the thro- "

"He didn't want the throne," Wang Yo whispered furiously, his face still smoldering underneath his stony expression. "Jung never wanted to be king and I thought I would be glad for it, but then…" He trailed off, brows furrowing as his eyes flickered to the water.

Hae Soo shook her head in confusion. "Then…what?"

Wang Yo's eyes narrowed when they flicked back to her face.

"He asked for you," he finally said.

Her lips formed an O as she stared at him, speechless.

"And I suddenly found myself compelled to offer him anything else," he continued. "For a moment, I thought perhaps relinquishing the throne might not be such a high price to pay after all…" He laughed darkly. "Could you imagine…what would Mother think?"

A bucket of ice water poured down her spine.

"You mustn't say such things," she said quietly.

"I am the king," he muttered. "I'll say what I want."

"What did you tell him?" she asked weakly, heart clamoring in her chest. "When he asked for me, what did you say?"

Wang Yo studied her face for a moment and tilted his head to the side.

"I said no," he told her flatly. "You should've seen the look on his face, he couldn't understand why."

Seconds ticked by and Hae Soo didn't respond, merely staring at him, wide brown eyes clashing against his own dark tempestuous ones. She had a feeling that the king himself didn't understand why he rejected the proposal either.

A surge of irritation rushed through Wang Yo. "Do you _want_ to marry him?" he asked suddenly, eyes narrowing as he moved towards her. His gaze held hers in a piercing stare as he stealthily approached, his toned chest cutting through the water, ever the predator.

"If he marries me…" Hae Soo said, carefully choosing her words. "I'll be free, Your Majesty."

She swallowed sharply as he menacingly stood before her. "I would be able to leave the palace," she whispered.

Wang Yo raised his eyebrows. "Leave? The palace?" he stated incredulously. "And where would you go?" he asked.

Her breath hitched in her throat as his calloused fingertips caressed the soles of her bare feet…steam and bathwater perfectly concealing his ministrations beneath the surface…

"You have nothing out there," Wang Yo said, his voice was low and deep as his thumbs ran back and forth over her ankles. "No real family, no prospects…I dare say your life would have no meaning beyond these walls..."

Hae Soo's heart pounded in her chest. She swallowed thickly as her eyes unconsciously fell on his mouth.

"Is that what you really want?" Wang Yo asked huskily, hands slowly moving up her calves. "To play the obedient wife to Jung…wasting your days away watching him practice his sword forms?"

He flashed her a lopsided grin as his fingers trailed along the smooth expanse of her leg…up, down…ever so lightly… _up…down_ …

Her breath came out in little pants as she gazed at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

"I imagine you'd tire of it all too quickly…" he whispered, a smirk playing on his lips.

 _Bastard._

Her nails bit into her palms as his fingers drew maddening patterns on the sensitive skin behind her knees.

Wang Yo gauged her reaction, greedily drinking in the sight of her flushed cheeks and heaving chest.

"Besides, even if I did set you free…I know you'd never want to leave me," he purred, eyes twinkling as his hands slid above her knees and traced over her creamy thighs.

Hae Soo's hands shot forward to cover his own, stilling their eager ascent on her lap.

Wang Yo quirked up a brow at her pained expression. "So I'll be merciful just this once…I won't let you go."

Still clutching his long fingers, she drew in a shaky breath.

"What if I told you I was unhappy _here_?" she whispered. She knew she was pushing her luck. "Would you let me go then?"

Wang Yo's smile disappeared and his eyes hardened.

Roughly gripping her wrists, he yanked her down into the pool.

Hae Soo yelped as she fell in, bathwater sloshing all around them in waves as she grabbed onto his bare shoulders for support. His hands slipped under her thighs to wrap her legs around his waist, hoisting her higher.

"Do not ask me that again," he seethed. "Ever."

He leaned in to kiss her and she turned her head away, his lips landed hungrily on her cheek.

A strangled whine escaped his throat. "Will you deny me now?" Wang Yo growled.

Brows knitting in frustration, he ducked his face into her slender neck. Hae Soo let out a tiny gasp as his lips softly grazed her throbbing pulse…her lashes fluttered shut at the contact. She tried to take a deep breath, but it was hard when the air was so heated and she felt as if she might combust in his arms. She felt him smirk against her neck as she whimpered.

Summoning enough courage to meet his obsidian gaze, she placed a hand against his cheek.

" _We can't_ ," she breathed desperately.

Wang Yo rested his forehead against hers, his breathing unsteady and uneven. "You have no idea what you do to me, do you?" he rasped, a pained expression crossed his face.

His molten eyes pierced into her soul.

"I would burn down all of Goryeo to keep you with me."

Tears sprang to her eyes at his unexpected, almost unwilling confession.

Her heart raced as he brought his hand to her hair, tucking the black wisps behind her ear. His gaze was almost tender, yet it held the same heat and magnetism that had her entranced from the start.

Wang Yo wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb and kissed her eyelids.

"Do you feel your skin burning, Lady Soo?"

He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Do you at all feel your senses impaired?" he whispered, trailing more kisses down her face to the side of her full mouth.

She nodded silently, eyes closed, though she highly doubted that mercury infused bathwater could ever make her feel this way.

She gasped as he captured her upper lip, pulling softly before moving to her plump lower lip to do the same.

His fingers entwined themselves in her hair. "Soo-yah…" he whispered against her lips. Her name rolled off his tongue like a prayer…and she smiled… because those two hushed syllables coming from him meant the world to her. It meant everything.

Her head spun as his mouth fully descended on hers…tasting her, endeavoring to consume her…and in that moment nothing else mattered…

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer, not wanting to let him go, wanting him to hold her forever in his embrace…because only he could save her now, and she could save him, if he would let her.

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 **Okayyy...**

 **Now, before you hop into that cold shower - kindly review Review REVIEW! ;)**

 **I hope y'all thoroughly enjoyed that. Work's been cray-cray lately so I'd say Part X might be ready in about two weeks.**

 **Until then, take care.**


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